Remembering the Cupboard
by blackandyellow26
Summary: A series of one-shots about Harry revealing the horrors of the abuse during his childhood to his friends and family. Post DH. Mostly cannon. Harry/Ginny pairings. Rated M for mild language/abuse.


**AN: I have always been curious how Harry reveals the horrors of his abuse at the Dursley's. I've always wondered their reactions. I hope you enjoy! Feedback is welcome!**

October 31st, 1998

Harry stared down at his parent's grave. It had been his idea to visit on the anniversary of their death. At first he wanted to come alone. But after a lot of convincing on Ron and Hermione's part, Harry agreed to let them come along. Now he stood a few feet from Ron and Hermione.

Hermione remembered coming here last Christmas Eve, with Harry. Back then, Hermione's thoughts had been mostly on finding Horcruxes. She had known that Harry would have been sad, but had never watched him look at his mum and dad's grave.

She saw a tear roll down his cheek. She knew that he must have been thinking about how life would have been if they had lived.

"Harry, mate." Ron started to say. It obviously startled him to see Harry cry. He took a step closer to Harry. Harry didn't even glance in his direction. "Harry maybe we should leave." Again, Harry gave no sign that he even heard Ron.

"Harry." Hermione said. This time, Harry looked up.

"Did you know they were going to have another kid?' He whispered. Another tear rolled down his cheek. "She- She was pregnant, the night she died. I found out a few months ago. When I came to visit."

"Oh, Harry." Hermione sniffed. She was crying now, too.

"They were decorating another nursery." He said a little more loudly. "They were decorating another nursery, and that bastard killed them. I could have had a brother! Or a sister! I could have had a family!" He was shouting now.

"We know," Hermione said softly.

"You know?! You've always had parents to go home to! To love you! You didn't have to live as a _freak_ for ten years! You were _never_ trapped in cupboard for two days, with soiled sheets and no food just because you got better grades than your cousin. When you fell down, you had someone to clean your wounds, not hit you for crying." Hermione was sobbing now.

"You're right, mate." Ron said. "But you don't need to take it out on Hermione."

"Of course I'm right." Harry snapped. "You don't even know how horrible they could be. For an entire weeks, I got nothing but bread and water for dropping a glass cup. I drew faces on popsicle sticks, and named them 'Mum' and 'Dad'. They would comfort me when I was sobbing in my _cupboard_ after being spanked for wetting my bed." Hermione and Ron were wide eyed. They had known the Dursley's were bad, but not _that_ bad. "So, no, you don't know, as smart as you are, Hermione. You will _never_ know." Harry was full on crying now, and started to walk away. Once he was outside the graveyard, he apparated away.

Hermione looked at Ron.

"I never had any idea…" Hermione said. "I thought they just hated him. I didn't know…"

"Neither did I." Ron said.

July 2, 2002

Harry woke up suddenly. He had been having a bad dream, about the cupboard. He dreamed that Ginny was trapping him in it. He sat up and looked around his room. Or rather, his and Ginny's room. They had gotten married just a week ago, and had just finished their honeymoon.

He looked at Ginny, and smiled. She turned around and groggily said, "Harry?"

"Yeah?" He said.

"Bad dream?" She said.

"Yeah."

"Lay back down. Go to sleep." Ginny mumbled. "I love you." Harry, quite suddenly overcome with emotion, felt a tear coming down his face. He sniffled just a little. Ginny opened her eyes.

"Are you crying?" She said. "What's wrong?"

"It's just- It's just that you're the first real family I've ever had. I've never been told 'I love you' before falling asleep. I mean, I love your family like family, but it's not the same." He blubbered just the slightest bit.

"Oh." She said. "Your aunt never…?" She felt that she already knew the answer, but asked anyway. Besides, how could you not love your nephew even if you hated what he was?

Harry looked at her. "No, but she sometimes would end the day with a nice 'Don't you _dare_ wake us up'." He immediately regretted saying that, and dropped his eyes.

"Really? Were they really that awful? To a little kid?" She said. "What else did they do?"

"Nothing." Harry said. "Go back to sleep, Ginny." He tried to lay back down. Ginny ever so stubborn, would not let him.

"No." She replied. "I want to know what those arses did to you." Harry looked at her with sad eyes.

"Fine. What do want to know?" Harry said.

"Well, um, where did you sleep?" Ginny said. Harry really didn't want to answer this question, Ginny could tell.

"Ginny, any other question. Please."

"No. I want to know where you slept."

Harry hesitated a little, then answered her.

"The cupboard under the stairs." He answered quietly.

"A CUPBOARD?!" She practically shrieked. "They made you sleep in a CUPBOARD?" She tried to imagine sixteen year old Harry in a cupboard. The image did not sit well with her.

"How could you fit?"

"I was pretty small for the first ten years of my life." Harry admitted. "After I started Hogwarts, though, I got moved into the spare room." He had hoped that might make her feel better. It didnt.

"They made you sleep in a cupboard when there was a spare room!"

"Did you at least have a bed?" She asked. "When you actually got a room?"

"Yes." Harry said. Ginny was quiet for a moment.

"What about food?" Ginny asked.

"Ginny, please. Can we just go back to bed?" He said wearily.

"No. I want to know!" Harry sighed.

"Sometimes they wouldn't give me food for a couple days, as punishment, and when I did, the servings were never as large as Dudley and the food was never as nice. Are you happy now?" Harry said. Ginny could tell that he really didn't want to talk about it anymore. As much as she wanted to go hex his aunt and uncle into next year, she lay down next to him.

"No, I'm not happy. I really don't understand how you could be after being tormented and abused for fifteen years. But I'll put a sock in it."

December 19th, 2003

Arthur Weasley watched as his son in law paced throughout the living room of the Burrow. Ginny, Harry's wife, was having her first baby in her bedroom on the next floor up. He could hear Ginny's groans, and screams, and every time she would scream bloody murder, Arthur watched Harry flinch.

"Need any help there, Harry?" Arthur asked. Harry stopped pacing and looked at Arthur.

"How did you do it? How did you know how to become a father?" Harry asked. Arthur was very taken aback.

"Well, I suppose I just copied off what my father did." As Harry's face fell, Arthur immediately realized what an insensitive thing he had just said. "I mean, uhh, I just, umm…" Harry was quiet. "Just do what your uncle did. I know he may not have been the kindest of people but…" Harry laughed.

"If you mean locking a six year old into a cupboard and letting him starve, then, no, he probably was not the kindest person." Arthur was speechless. After realizing what he said, Harry immediately apologized. "Sorry, sir, I didn't mean to snap at you."

"They let you starve? Surely not…" Arthur said. Harry just looked down. "Those bastards! They intentionally starved a child, while feeding another so much he weighs almost as much as a cow!" As soon as he finished ranting, a baby's wail rang throughout the house. Molly appeared at the stairs with tears in her eyes.

"Harry, dear, you can come up now." Harry walked up the stairs. Ginny was a holding a little baby in her arms.

"Isn't he precious?" Ginny asked.

"It's a he?" Harry said. "What are we going to call him?"

"Well," Ginny said. She looked up at him. "I thought it was obvious. James Sirius Potter" Harry was speechless.

"You want to name him after my dad? Not any of your brothers?" Harry asked.

"No. The world needs another James Potter. The other one got taken away much too soon."

September 1st, 2009

"Come on, Harry!" Harry's godson pulled at his arm. "It's time to go!"

"Relax, Teddy," Harry said. "We don't have to be at the station for another," He looked at the clock, "Hour?! Ginny! It's time to go!" He said. Teddy giggled at his godfather's forgetfulness.

Ginny appeared with a bouncy four and five year old and a stroller with a two year old in it.

"I'm here, I'm here." She said. "Let's go."

When they got into the car the ministry supplied, Albus and James broke out into an argument.

"Yes, Albus, I'm going to Hogwarts, too, today." James said.

"No! You aren't! You're not old enough yet!" Albus argued. "Teddy! Tell him he's not old enough!"

Teddy, who had been staring out the window as the countryside slowly turned to city the closer they got to King's Cross, replied with a, "Huh?"

"Boys, stop arguing. Albus, James isn't going to Hogwarts for another six years. You can relax now. James, don't tease your brother." Harry reprimanded. The car was silent for a few more minutes.

"Is that it?" Teddy asked as they pulled into the parking lot.

"Yes," Harry said.

"Wow." Teddy breathed.

"Just wait until you see Hogwarts." Harry said. They got out of the car and got Teddy's things from it. As they walked inside, people gave them funny looks. When they approached the platform barrier, Harry smiled. Ginny noticed his smile.

"Just remembering the fond memories of trying to find Platform 9 ¾." Harry said.

"Why? Your uncle didn't show you?" Teddy asked. Harry laughed. "Why was that funny?"

"Let's just say that my uncle was not the kindest person ever. He didn't want to help me find the platform." Harry said.

"Why wouldn't he? He didn't want to to see you off?" Teddy said. That provoked another laugh from Harry.

"No, he didn't like frea- magic." Harry said.

"Frea what? Frea what, Harry?" Teddy asked again. Harry looked down at Teddy.

"You ask too many questions. Save some for class."

August 3, 2016

The first time that Harry got in a huge fight with one of his sons was over a broom. However, it escalated quickly from James breaking his brothers broom to Harry being a bad father and James being a bad son.

"I can't believe you won't buy me a new broom! I need to make the quidditch team this year!" James said.

"Maybe I will buy you a new broom when you prove you can take care of it!" Harry shot back.

"Why won't you just listen to me!" James said. "I promised that I wouldn't break it! But of course you wouldn't, because you're too busy at work to make time to listen to your children! Your fame is just too far up your arse to behave like a normal human being! But don't worry, Dad, because it's not your fault. It's a medical condition called narcissism!" Harry was speechless for a moment, but only a moment.

"You think that I asked for my fame? I would _much_ rather be you, with loving parents. Not _dead_ ones. I would have much rather had a room to go too, rather than a _cupboard_. At least your mother and I don't _starve_ you as a punishment for not being able to finish mowing the lawn. You should be thankful that the reason you were okay with being starved and locked in a cupboard was because you were _convinced_ that you were a freak." Harry finally stopped himself. He had never told his children of the his treatment when he was younger. James was crying now and Harry felt horrible.

"Did you really think you were a freak?" James said. Harry looked down. "Oh. I'll go to my room now." James said, quietly. Harry watched his son go in horror. He had never meant to reveal those bits of his life to James, nor had he ever seen James go quietly. He sat down. Just then, Ginny came through the fire place with Albus and Lily.

"We're home!" Ginny said. "Show Harry what you made at Grandma's, Lily." Then she caught sight of Harry's face. "On second thought, why don't you show him after dinner. Albus, will you take your sister and yourself up to your rooms?" Albus gave them weird looks but nodded and lead Lily upstairs.

"Harry, what happened?" Ginny asked.

"James told me that my fame was shoved up to far in my arse and I told him that at least we don't starve him as punishment for not completing his chores." He said quietly.

"You didn't." Ginny said. "Oh, Harry."


End file.
